Hiroshi Kono Violin, Tokyo 2023 – Wow Sound! – CURRENTLY OUT ON TRIAL –

click picture to enlarge

Label Reads:

Handmade violin from Tokyo, Japan. The Strad (Italian) arching on the top plate allows for this violin to project and have power. The top plate spruce grain is a medium-width that broadens at the outer flanks. The instrument’s stunning one-piece back with a generous amount of flame sets this violin apart. The varnish is a deep golden orange/brown on a golden ground. It is antiqued with a distressed pattern on the top and back. We set up the instrument with ebony fittings, with the exception of the German Wittner tailpiece with the built-in fine tuners. A soundpost was cut along with a handmade high grade French Aubert bridge. We have also tried the new Thomastik-Infeld DYNAMO strings with this instrument. Violinist Joshua Bell has many of his students purchase this violin to grow with. It has the sound I’m sure he is looking for that a serious musician can appreciate at an unexpected price.

Corpus 357.0 mm., Major Width 200.0 mm., Minor Width 164.0 mm., Rib Height 30.0 mm.

The sound on the Kono violin is big and bold. This powerful sound is throughout the entire voicing and register. The lower strings have a smooth quality about them, and the A and E sound is sweet with a presence that a player will notice. The instrument response is instant, and the string articulations are crisp and clean.